Red Hot Roddick beats Marat Safin in Australian Open Round Three
Posted on January 19, 2007 - Filed Under Australian Open, Tennis | Leave a Comment
Prime time on Australian Open day five saw the clash of titans, the match of the tournament so far and call it what ever you like but this one was surely the big one for the night. 
Red hot Roddick taking on the temperamental and maverick Russian Marat Safin. The began under clear but humid skies as the organizers opted for an open roof for the evening and when the match began it was as intense as the atmosphere around. One break of serve exchanged each in the first set as it headed for the tie-breaker Roddick the better player in the breaker as he took the first set 7-6 winning the tie-breaker 7-2.
The second set saw Safin come into his elements as he quite literally demolished Roddick serve as he quickly wrapped up the second set to 6-2 and it looked like it could be a long night at the Rod Laver Arena. But as the players came up for the third set Safin was raising the tempo on the anger front and it seemed he was getting close to his dramatic best. Safin at his dramatic best arguing line calls, swearing and rasping his knuckles on the court. But Safin’s dramatic best also seemed to get the best out of him in terms of tennis and he was clearly the man on top until he blew it up in the ninth game of the third set Roddick held his serve as it led 2 sets to 1 Safin totally outrageous by now.
Heaven’s open up just at the beginning of the fourth set but the showers would not cool the tempers and when the umpire called ‘time’ for play to begin the 2005 champion would have none of it, he refused to play under the pretext that the court was too wet for him while A-Rod waited patiently for him at the other end. 
The fourth set went pretty much on serve only to have been interrupted by more obscenities spelt out by the Russian this time on live television.
Though some sanity restored towards the end of the match but the Russian had clearly lost it by the time the match headed into a tie break and once again Roddick came up triumphant 7-2 take the match in a lil under four hours 7-6 6-2 6-4 7-6. Roddick would now face Mario Ancic in the pre-quarters. The number six seed surely looking good for now and into the second week of the tournament he’s pretty much in the race for his first Australian Open crown.
Else where, it was another day at the office for world number one Roger Federer as she steamed rolled into the fourth round with ease wining 6-3 6-3 7-6. David Fererer, Tommy Robredo, Mardy Fish, Nicholay Davidenko all making steady progress into the fourth rounds.
On the women’s side Maria Serena Williams came from a set down to win against Russian Nadia Petrova as she sounded ominous signals for the title. But fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova had it pretty ease against compatriot Maria Kirilenko wining 6-1 6-4. The only major casualty for the day being Tatiana Golovin of France, she lost to Israeli Sahar Peer. The fifteenth seed came from a set down to win 3-6 7-5 7-5. But compatriot Amelie Mouresmo broke lil sweat in beating Eva Birnerova in straight sets 6-3 6-1.
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